Shared Pain
by krazykitkat
Summary: "I'm so glad I'm not a woman."


TITLE: Shared Pain  
AUTHOR: Katrina McDonnell  
EMAIL: mcdonnem@tpg.com.au  
SPOILERS: None  
RATING: PG-13 (warning for anyone squeamish about blood and facts   
of life)  
DISCLAIMER: The West Wing and its characters are the property of   
Aaron Sorkin, Warner Brothers, and NBC. No Copyright Infringement   
is intended. I will put them back slightly disheveled.   
ARCHIVE: Sure, but please ask first.  
FEEDBACK: Much appreciated.  
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Not entirely sure where this one came from...well   
that's not entirely true, but it's a weird convoluted path. I wanted to write   
a story dealing with one of the unglamourous issues of real life and this   
was the result. I'm bracing myself for a barrage of "What were you thinking?"   
emails. Oh, and it is a CJ/Danny story, but that isn't the main idea or theme   
of the story.  
THANKS: To Rhonda for editing, advice and encouragement. And Kansas   
and Sio for encouragement. So you can blame those three.  
SUMMARY: "I'm so glad I'm not a woman."  
"CJ."  
  
"Hmmmm."  
  
"Wake up, my Sweet. I'm taking you home."  
  
The voice sounded like him. But he was in New York City. Had to be   
a dream.  
  
"Come on. Open those eyes."  
  
The hand on her cheek felt real. Only one way to find out. She forced   
her eyelids up.  
  
Even blurry, she'd know that red hair and beard anywhere.  
  
"You're in New York."  
  
He grinned. "I'm here now."  
  
"But--" She tried to remember what day it was. "You're not supposed   
to be back till Friday and I'm pretty sure it was Wednesday when I laid   
down."  
  
"It's still Wednesday, Sleeping Beauty." He leant down to kiss her   
forehead. "Carol called me."  
  
"I'll kill her."  
  
"No, you won't." He brushed her hair off her face. "I saw your briefing   
this morning and was already changing my flight. You look terrible."  
  
"I love you too." Her slurred voice took the edge off the sarcasm.  
  
"Why didn't you stay in bed this morning?"  
  
"You weren't there to rub my back."  
  
He pushed his hand between the couch and her lower back. "I'll take   
you home and rub it for as long as you want. Come on, get up."  
  
She winced as pain rippled through her abdomen. "I can't. I have to   
work."  
  
"No, you don't." His hand moved down to pull her knees forward.   
"Leo's given you the rest of today and tomorrow off. And possibly   
Friday. He's left it up to my judgement."  
  
"I'm adding Leo and you to my list."  
  
He'd managed to raise her to a sitting position. "I'm not too worried   
at the moment. You haven't got the strength to kill anything. Plus I'm   
third on your list."  
  
"But you're the one living with me. I can get you when you're asleep.   
Or during sex. You can go out with a bang."  
  
"What drugs are you on?" He pried the heating pad she'd been holding   
against her stomach out of her hands.  
  
"Ask Carol. I think I'm due for some more."  
  
He stood and walked across the room to retrieve her coat and handbag.   
"You can wait till we get home. I can't carry you up the stairs."  
  
"You're not a very good white knight." She stretched her arms out so   
he could dress her. "I'll trade you in for a better model."  
  
"Carol."  
  
She appeared in the office doorway. "Yeah, Danny?"  
  
"What has she taken?"  
  
CJ closed her eyes and listened to the conversation.  
  
"The doctor prescribed them. Two every eight hours. She can't have   
any more until six pm. They have some side effects."  
  
"I noticed."  
  
"I'm not completely out of it," CJ complained.  
  
Danny pulled her to her feet and kissed her cheek. "I'm still not letting   
you operate any heavy machinery."  
  
"Well there goes my afternoon plans for bulldozing the Capitol Building."   
She groaned in pain and leant into him. "Oh, hell."  
  
He cuddled her while rubbing her back. "Stop fighting me and just let   
me take care of you for once," he whispered against her hair. "I don't   
want you thinking about work. They can survive without you for a few   
days."  
  
"But what about your assignment?" she mumbled, her fingers digging   
into his shoulders.  
  
"Would you stop worrying about things? You're all that matters right   
now."  
  
The cramp easing, CJ leant back a little so she could look at him. "You're   
so sweet. You're da man. You're my sex toy. That thing you do--"  
  
Carol laughed in the outer office.  
  
Danny quickly placed a finger on her lips. "CJ, it might be an idea not   
to talk while you're on these drugs."  
  
"You're so cute when you blush."  
  
"And you're playing me."  
  
"Just a little." Her smile turned into a grimace. "Take me home."  
  
"That's what I've been trying to do." He flung her handbag over his   
shoulder and steered her out the door.  
  
Carol answered before she could speak. "I'll look after Gail. Just relax."  
  
"You're not off the hook." CJ pointed at her. "We'll have a chat--"  
  
Danny interrupted. "What she means to say is thank you and you're the   
best assistant in the world."  
  
"No wonder she kept letting you into my office."  
  
"It's just my natural charm. Bye, Carol."  
  
"Bye, Carol," CJ repeated as Danny pushed her out the door. "We're   
going via Leo's."  
  
"CJ."  
  
She turned and glared at him.  
  
Throwing his hands up, he surrendered. "Okay. But then we're leaving."  
  
Margaret was away from her desk and CJ marched straight into Leo's   
office, finding him sitting on the couch reading papers.  
  
He looked up. "I thought I told you to go home."  
  
"I forgot to bring the crowbar to pry her away," Danny quipped from   
behind her.  
  
"Actually, Leo, you didn't tell me anything. And you didn't ask me what   
I wanted. Don't send Danny to handle me. I will be back when I'm ready,   
which'll probably be Friday." She glanced at Danny. "Depends how long   
it takes to hide the body."  
  
Leo took off his reading glasses. "I didn't think you'd want to talk about   
it. That you might be--" He waved his hand in the air.  
  
"Embarrassed?" She saw Josh enter and greet Danny out of the corner   
of her eye. "*It's* called period pain, Leo. Cramps. My monthly visitor.   
My time of..."  
  
Josh emitted a choking sound.  
  
"The month," she finished, turning her head to watch Josh retreat rapidly   
to the outer office.  
  
"I was married and do have a daughter, CJ. Would you like to go home?"   
Leo put emphasis on 'would you'.  
  
"Thank you, Leo. I would." Needing to make her position clear, she   
continued, "Don't use Danny to manage me again. Come and talk to me."  
  
Leo nodded. "Okay."  
  
"Good."  
  
Unsure how to end the impromptu meeting, they lapsed into uncomfortable   
silence.  
  
"Can we go now?" Danny finally broke in.  
  
Before CJ could answer, Margaret knocked. "Leo, you have a phone call."  
  
Leo practically leapt off the couch and sprinted to the phone, while trying   
to maintain a veneer of unflappability. "I'll see you when you get back, CJ."  
  
Danny slipped his hand into hers and pulled her out into the corridor.   
  
"One more stop."  
  
"CJ."  
  
She kissed him quickly on the lips, whispering, "Bathroom."  
  
He led her to the nearest one, opening the door and calling out, "Anyone   
in here?"  
  
"What are you doing, Danny?"  
  
"I'm coming in with you." He put his hand over her mouth. "And don't   
bother arguing with me. You can't see how pale you look at the moment.   
Don't lock the stall door, I'll hold it closed. I don't want to have to kick   
the door in after you've collapsed in there."  
  
CJ smiled as he took his hand away and held the door open for her. "My   
hero."  
  
***  
  
Danny dumped his suitcase in the hallway, shutting the door with his foot.   
He eased her coat off her shoulders. "Go and change into your pajamas   
and crawl into bed. I'll nuke the hot pack."  
  
She didn't argue, the horizontal was infinitely less painful. He arrived   
with the teddy bear heat source as she stuck her legs under the covers.  
  
"Thank you," she said, settling her head on the pillow, the warm bear   
clasped against her abdomen.  
  
Danny brushed her hair off her face. "Need anything else?"  
  
"You."  
  
"Just let me get changed into something more comfortable."  
  
CJ watched him undress to his boxers.  
  
He glanced over at her. "See anything you like?"  
  
"Take them off and I'll let you know." She pointed at his lower body.  
  
"Sorry." He pulled a t-shirt and sweat pants out of a drawer. "But the   
Danny show is on hiatus. However I do a pretty sexy unstripping." He   
proceeded to perform a bump and grind as he dressed.  
  
She couldn't help but grin, shifting as he crawled in beside her and kissed   
her lips.  
  
"Roll on to your side."  
  
Her eyes closed in contentment as he rubbed her back, his presence and   
the warmth of the hot pack, his body and the bed, lulling her into sleep.  
  
Deep sleep was chased away by cramps in her abdomen. She curled into   
the fetal position, whimpering in pain.  
  
"CJ." Danny fumbled for the bedside lamp switch, lighting up the dark   
room. "What can I do?"  
  
She shook her head and rocked, rubbing her stomach.  
  
"It's after six. I'll get you the pills."  
  
Her need for the toilet made itself known over the cramps and she stumbled   
into the bathroom.  
  
"CJ?"  
  
"I'm in here," she called through the door. "Don't come in. I need clean   
clothes and I'm not sure about the sheets."  
  
Danny had stripped and remade the bed by the time she came out of the   
bathroom.   
  
His face was white and his hands a little shaky as he gave her a glass.   
"Take these."  
  
She swallowed the pills, more worried by the shock on his face.  
  
"Maybe I should take you to the hospital."  
  
CJ shook her head.  
  
"It might be a miscarriage," he implored.  
  
She raised her hand to stroke his cheek. "It's not. It's just my period."  
  
Danny's voice was a little panicky. "Those sheets--"  
  
"It's happened a couple of times before, scared the hell out of me too."  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"Yes," she replied in a firm voice. "I was PMSing up a storm the last   
few days. You were lucky you were out of town."  
  
He tried to give a weak smile but didn't succeed. "Who got the worst   
of it?"  
  
"Josh."  
  
"Do I owe him a bottle of sympathy scotch?"  
  
"No. He deserved it and won't do it again."  
  
CJ placed her hands on either side of his face and pulled their lips into   
contact. A slow, comforting kiss was followed by a long cuddle, both   
releasing their emotions.  
  
Grabbing tissues off her bedside table, CJ wiped Danny's eyes and cheeks,   
and then her own. "You okay?"   
  
Danny snorted. "You're the one in agony and--"  
  
She leant her forehead against his. "I'm feeling a little bit better now."  
  
"You scared me," he whispered. "I love you."   
  
"I love you too." CJ smiled in comfort. "I could do with some more   
cuddles and back rubs."  
  
"Move over then."   
  
Their arms wrapped around each other, CJ rested her head on Danny's   
chest as he rubbed her back.   
  
"I'm so glad I'm not a woman."  
  
She laughed. "So am I." 


End file.
